I believe iPads could have a significant positive impact in the classroom, if school districts are able and willing to invest in them. It has been my experience that students plug in to lessons with enthusiastic motivation when almost any kind of technology is involved. More and more I am noticing students preferring and thriving in a self-directed style of learning in which the teacher is aguide and individual students choose their own journey, mode and pace. Being able to incorporate iPads into this atmosphere would advance what I can offer my kids exponentially. This technology is compact and mobile; students could easily be able to move around the room or gather around the teacher at a moment’s notice with the learning tool intheir hands ready to use. Having iPads available for my students would bust open the doors for differentiation. They could easily have a variety of choice show they approach the content for the day: researching, writing, reading withsupport resources at their fingertips (like dictionaries, the ability tohighlight and take notes embedded in their literature), verbal and online discussions, composing study aids, photography, movie making and more. The applications available are almost endless, and just thinking about all the possibilities how iPads could increase my students’ investment in and interaction with what they are learning excites and inspires me. And all this could happen without having to negotiate for time in a computer lab. An example of an application I could see my students enjoying is the one I used for my presentation, Shake-a-Phrase.
Shake-a-Phraseis a free and fun way to help students learn, practice, and review some main parts of speech. It can be used in a variety of ways; there are three main modes: Shake It, Story Starter, and Quiz Me. The Shake It mode generates humorous sentences randomly, and students can tap on words for definitions. Two examples of ways this could be used are for reading aloud with a partner or small team and identifying parts of speech and as a whole class with whiteboards to write parts of speech the teacher calls out. The Story Starter mode is similar, and could probably be utilized inthe same way as the latter; however, it is intended to provide creative ideas to spark student writing. There is also a Quiz Me mode that can be customized to focus on nouns, verbs, and adjectives or any combination of them. In addition, students can choose from a variety of themes and whether or not to have sound effects. The students, at their own paces within the time restraints of a class period and having to share the technology, could use it as a pre-assessment for their understanding of the parts of speech, an introduction, and/practice and be asked to write an original paragraph (perhaps with one of the Story Starters), or select one from their own writing or reading, create a key to show their identification of the parts of speech and send the paragraph to me through our school’s Google email account or upload it in Moodle. Howexciting are the possibilities for iPads in the classroom?
I enjoy finding application recommendations on the internet and through a couple Ihave on my iPad (edu Techer, App Shopper, and Appolicious) that categorize themand keep track of what is new, popular, and has special, sometimes fee, offers. During our class presentations, I also learned about, took notes on, and even downloaded a number of applications. A few educational ones my classmates shared that I would like to try are:
K12Timed Reading Practice(This sounds like a neat way to practice fluency; however, I’ll be watching for this one to expand beyond 4.7 reading level before I purchase it.)
Shakespearein Bits(For the past two years I have been challenging my eighth graders with an introduction to Shakespeare’s language, focusing on his sonnets. This app could be used as differentiation.)
PuppetPals(I have students who sometimes like to have an alternative to the traditional writing options, and this app could also be used for a free choice option.)
Middle School Vocabulary (This could be used by students who do not have a specific list of their own but would like to expand their knowledge of vocabulary.)
GrammarJammers Middle Edition (I am always looking for activities to liven up practice of concepts students usually do not enjoy. Before I purchase this one, I will be keeping my eyes onthe feedback to see if the company fixes the errors in content people are reporting.)
The Strange and Wonderful World of Ants (The ability of this app to switch the text to different levels is amazing, and I love the idea of using it to show kids how to revise their ideas and wordchoice in their writing.)
Paper Helper (Next year inthe eighth grade curriculum we have to emphasize the research process and how to give credit to sources; this app has students search on one side of the screen and their writing on the other. I cannot tell if it provides an onboard handbook for citation format though.)
Old Masters—Classic Painters Art Gallery Animal Kingdom Education HD (I could see these apps being inspiration for student writing and pretesting, instruction, or practice of the traits of writing; I am reminded to be open to how I could use ideas I would not usually consider.)
I plan to continue using my iPad both professionally and personally. I would liketo talk with my principal and see if he can help me get wireless internet and some iPads for my classroom. Some teachers have Promethean Boards, why not have others utilize another type of technology with the students? As far as personal use goes, I did not think I would like reading books on the iPad, but I am hooked. Also, my son and I are having a blast finding apps we can play with and use.
Assignment 7 Reflection
I believe iPads could have a significant positive impact in the classroom, if school districts are able and willing to invest in them. It has been my experience that students plug in to lessons with enthusiastic motivation when almost any kind of technology is involved. More and more I am noticing students preferring and thriving in a self-directed style of learning in which the teacher is aguide and individual students choose their own journey, mode and pace. Being able to incorporate iPads into this atmosphere would advance what I can offer my kids exponentially. This technology is compact and mobile; students could easily be able to move around the room or gather around the teacher at a moment’s notice with the learning tool intheir hands ready to use. Having iPads available for my students would bust open the doors for differentiation. They could easily have a variety of choice show they approach the content for the day: researching, writing, reading withsupport resources at their fingertips (like dictionaries, the ability tohighlight and take notes embedded in their literature), verbal and online discussions, composing study aids, photography, movie making and more. The applications available are almost endless, and just thinking about all the possibilities how iPads could increase my students’ investment in and interaction with what they are learning excites and inspires me. And all this could happen without having to negotiate for time in a computer lab. An example of an application I could see my students enjoying is the one I used for my presentation, Shake-a-Phrase.
Shake-a-Phraseis a free and fun way to help students learn, practice, and review some main parts of speech. It can be used in a variety of ways; there are three main modes: Shake It, Story Starter, and Quiz Me. The Shake It mode generates humorous sentences randomly, and students can tap on words for definitions. Two examples of ways this could be used are for reading aloud with a partner or small team and identifying parts of speech and as a whole class with whiteboards to write parts of speech the teacher calls out. The Story Starter mode is similar, and could probably be utilized inthe same way as the latter; however, it is intended to provide creative ideas to spark student writing. There is also a Quiz Me mode that can be customized to focus on nouns, verbs, and adjectives or any combination of them. In addition, students can choose from a variety of themes and whether or not to have sound effects. The students, at their own paces within the time restraints of a class period and having to share the technology, could use it as a pre-assessment for their understanding of the parts of speech, an introduction, and/practice and be asked to write an original paragraph (perhaps with one of the Story Starters), or select one from their own writing or reading, create a key to show their identification of the parts of speech and send the paragraph to me through our school’s Google email account or upload it in Moodle. Howexciting are the possibilities for iPads in the classroom?
I enjoy finding application recommendations on the internet and through a couple Ihave on my iPad (edu Techer, App Shopper, and Appolicious) that categorize themand keep track of what is new, popular, and has special, sometimes fee, offers. During our class presentations, I also learned about, took notes on, and even downloaded a number of applications. A few educational ones my classmates shared that I would like to try are:
K12Timed Reading Practice (This sounds like a neat way to practice fluency; however, I’ll be watching for this one to expand beyond 4.7 reading level before I purchase it.)
Shakespearein Bits (For the past two years I have been challenging my eighth graders with an introduction to Shakespeare’s language, focusing on his sonnets. This app could be used as differentiation.)
PuppetPals(I have students who sometimes like to have an alternative to the traditional writing options, and this app could also be used for a free choice option.)
Middle School Vocabulary (This could be used by students who do not have a specific list of their own but would like to expand their knowledge of vocabulary.)
GrammarJammers Middle Edition (I am always looking for activities to liven up practice of concepts students usually do not enjoy. Before I purchase this one, I will be keeping my eyes onthe feedback to see if the company fixes the errors in content people are reporting.)
The Strange and Wonderful World of Ants (The ability of this app to switch the text to different levels is amazing, and I love the idea of using it to show kids how to revise their ideas and wordchoice in their writing.)
Paper Helper (Next year inthe eighth grade curriculum we have to emphasize the research process and how to give credit to sources; this app has students search on one side of the screen and their writing on the other. I cannot tell if it provides an onboard handbook for citation format though.)
Old Masters—Classic Painters Art Gallery Animal Kingdom Education HD (I could see these apps being inspiration for student writing and pretesting, instruction, or practice of the traits of writing; I am reminded to be open to how I could use ideas I would not usually consider.)
I plan to continue using my iPad both professionally and personally. I would liketo talk with my principal and see if he can help me get wireless internet and some iPads for my classroom. Some teachers have Promethean Boards, why not have others utilize another type of technology with the students? As far as personal use goes, I did not think I would like reading books on the iPad, but I am hooked. Also, my son and I are having a blast finding apps we can play with and use.